Transcript ORC Update – What’s New and Different for 2012

SUPPORTING STUDENTS
IN K-3 WITH THE ONLINE
REFERENCE CENTRE
Khalsa School Calgary Staff PD Day
January 30, 2015
Jamie Davis, ORC Coordinator
WHAT IS THE ORC?
A
$1.7 million collection of curricular-aligned,
authoritative digital resources licensed on behalf of
all Alberta:
 K-12 students and their parents
 School staff
 Pre-service teachers
 Public library staff *
 Funded
by a yearly Grant-In-Aid from Alberta
Education to The Alberta Library (TAL)
 Return on Investment (ROI) calculation of 3:1 for
Alberta Schools
*for the purposes of supporting K-12 patrons
WHY SHOULD STUDENTS
ACCESS THE ORC?
ORC Resources:


Provide authoritative, age appropriate, engaging, curricularaligned content
Allow students to become familiar and comfortable with the
kinds of resources and searching practises that an integral
part of 21st century learning

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Google & Wikipedia are the tip of the searching and information
literacy “iceberg”
Are time savers once you are familiar with using them
Include embedded supports for diverse learners like listen, text
translation, citation tools, vetted websites, copyright friendly
pictures and videos
Provide anytime, from anywhere with Internet access
HOW DOES THE ORC FIT
INTO THE 7 HABITS?

Be Proactive

I am a responsible person…I do the right thing without being asked,
even when no one is looking.
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Put first things first

I spend time doing things that are most important (e.g. homework)

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ORC resources can be used to teach and promote digital citizenship. The resources
include copyright friendly pictures and videos.
ORC resources provide authoritative licensed content along side freely available
websites that align with the Alberta curriculum.
ORC resources allow homework to be completed from anywhere with an Internet
connection.
Finding authoritative information is faster, subsequent time spent doing homework
is reduced.
Seek first to understand

I listen to other people’s ideas and feelings. I try to see things from their
viewpoints.

ORC resources provide a range of perspectives, and articles are often written by
someone living in the country.
WHY SHOULD SCHOOL STAFF
ACCESS THE ORC?
ORC Resources Provide:
 Access to ready-to-use or customizable lesson plans,
teaching materials and direct curricular correlations
 Support for ESL and foreign language learners
 Access to journals like Walrus, National Geographic,
National Geographic Kids, Men’s Health, and Maclean’s
just to name a few (RSS feeds available)
 Consistent and explicit update schedules
 Access to vetted websites
 Ability to create permalinks that can be posted on a
website or in an email blast
ACCESSING THE ORC
 Go
to LearnAlberta.ca
 Select English or French
 Click on “Online Reference Centre” in the tab along
the top of the screen
 In school automatic authentication
 Access outside of school requires a remote
username/password
Khalsa School Username: LA610 Password: 6101
Share your district username/password using low tech
methods


 Email
[email protected] for your
remote username/password
QUICK TIP FOR WORKING WITH
YOUNG LEARNERS
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Create a direct link to the ORC
Have an enlarged icon for the database(s) you will be
using
Preload on iPads, SMART Board or computers for
quicker access to a learning centre activity
Model for whole group – Move to pair work – Finally
individual work
Number each child – that is the computer they will
use
Recipe card with access information for every student
– laminate and put on a ring
In class tech helpers
Expect age appropriate citations – icons, premade
sheets, etc.
Questions?
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT
LITERACY SKILLS AND
LANGUAGE LEARNING
BOOKFLIX
 Recommended
for K-3
 105 fiction and non-fiction book pairs organized into
themes
 Search titles by guided reading level, author, grade
level, theme, etc.
 Lesson plans for each pair provided
 Real voice audio support embedded throughout
resources
 Follow up “puzzlers” for each pair
TRUEFLIX
 Newly
created sister resource to BookFLIX designed
for grades 3-6
 Nonfiction content divided into 2 broad themes with
3-5 subthemes
 Each ebook includes an introductory video to help
build background knowledge of topic
 Human voice read along feature
 Interactive table of contents for each ebook
 Essential inquiry questions and project ideas for
every ebook
TEACHINGBOOKS.NET
 Recommended
for K-12
 Includes a wealth of support material to teach and
promote books in your school (book trailers, author
interviews and readings, author audio name
pronunciation, book guides and lesson plans, etc.)
 Share pages using share, email or flyer with QR
features
 Access Alberta specific booklists:

Canadian Book Award Winners/Canadian Book and Author
Resources
 Personalized
Book Lists upon request
MUZZY ONLINE
 Recommended
for students in K-6
 Learning languages through the context of a story
 Hundreds of words and phrases embedded in
stories
 Six movies in each language level with subtitles
that can be turned on/off
 101 thematic video lessons with embedded
language learning games divided into level I & II
 All new 3D animation
 All new recording studio and 4 new languages
coming in 2015
RESOURCES TO
SUPPORT THE SCIENCE
CURRICULUM
AMAZING ANIMALS
OF THE WORLD
 Recommended
for K-6
 Lists animal classes, orders and species
 Read Aloud available
 Provides quick access to the “animal stats” at
the top and a brief article below
 Links to information about animal habitat,
and order
 Vetted weblinks that open within the
database
POWERKNOWLEDGE SUITE
 Recommended
for grades 1-3
 Content divided into 3 databases: Earth Space, Life
Science and Physical Science
 Includes a customizable read aloud feature
 Short, segmented articles with introductory videos to
build background knowledge
 Embedded science experiments and educational
games
 Aligns with 95% of the grade 3-6 science curriculum
and 87% of grade 1-6 science curriculum
POWERKNOWLEDGE:
EARTH SPACE
Curriculum areas covered:
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Grade 1 Seasonal Changes
Grade 2 Exploring Liquids
Grade 3 Rocks and Minerals
Grade 4 Light and Shadows, and Waste and Our World
 Grade 5 Weather Watch, and Wetland Ecosystems
 Social Studies mapping skills
 Grade 6 Sky Science

POWERKNOWLEDGE:
LIFE SCIENCE
Curriculum areas covered:
Grade 1 Needs of Animals and Plants
 Grade 2 Small Flying and Crawling Animals
 Grade 3 Animal Life Cycles and Hearing and Sound

Grade 4 Plant Growth and Changes, Wetland Ecosystems
and Waste and Our World
 Grade 6 Trees and Forests
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POWERKNOWLEDGE:
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Curriculum areas covered:
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Grade 1 Needs of Animals and Plants
Grade 2 Hot and Cold Temperatures and Magnetism
Grade 4 Wheels and Levers
 Grade 5 Electricity and Magnetism and Classroom
Chemistry
 Grade 6 Trees and Forests
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RESOURCES TO
SUPPORT THE SOCIAL
STUDIES CURRICULUM
CULTUREGRAMS
 Recommended


for grades 3-12
Very strong alignment to the grade 3 Social Studies
curriculum
Also support grade 2 Social Studies curriculum
 Updated
every 6 months
 Includes a World, Kids Edition and Provinces Edition
 Articles are written and reviewed by in-country
consultants
 Cultural recipes included for each country and
province
 Create customizes graphs and tables using current
data from the countries and provinces
 Tools include world time, distance calculator, and
currency converter
OTHER ENGAGING
MULTIDISCIPLINARY
RESOURCES TO CHECK OUT
WORLD BOOK KIDS
 Recommended
for students in K-3
 Text to speech feature
 Easy online database for young users
 Use the compare option to find similarities and
differences between animals, countries and places
 Available on iPads
 Online Training Available
SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL STAFF
MEMBERS
ORC SUPPORT SITE
www.onlinereferencecentre.ca
 Resource training materials - podcasts, videos,
archived webinars, and guides
 Information about upcoming free ORC PD
opportunities
 Information about province-wide resource trials
and surveys
 Online booking system for ORC sessions
 Calendar of ORC Events
 Links to ORC Twitter and Facebook accounts
CURRICULAR MAPPING FOR
DIVISION I SCIENCE


Along with training materials provided by the
vendors, the ORC Support Site also includes
curricular mapping documents for the division I
Science Curriculum at:
http://www.onlinereferencecentre.ca/curricularmapping-for-division-i-science.html
Social Studies will be coming soon….
ORC LISTSERV
 Weekly
email updates organized by E/J/S:
New resources and features
 Province-wide trials
 Surveys
 Free PD opportunities

 No
emails during school breaks
 Membership has its benefits – joining incentive
 Email [email protected] or visit the
ORC Support Site to join today
CONTACT
For more information or to schedule a
school presentation please contact
Jamie Davis, ORC Coordinator
Call 780-414-0805 ext.229
OR
Email: [email protected]
LINKS TO CHECK OUT
ORC Support Site
http://www.onlinereferencecentre.ca/
ORC ListServ
https://lists.talonline.ca/listinfo/orc
ORC Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/OnlineReferenceCentre
Twitter
@ORC_AB